Sweet second great grandmother, Matilda, was a bigamist.

   

     One year ago, today, I started to blog about the WHERRETT line.  I am finally back after a difficult year.  My life has changed considerably in the last many months.  I am now a widow, a step-daughter has been added to the Family Tree on the Petersen side and a labradoodle puppy occupies my home.  Thank goodness for Chester.  He gets me up in the morning and keep me on my toes throughout the day.

     I have much support and love from my family, daughter’s Nicole and Lori, grandchild Audrey and grandchildren, Cassidy, Maddison, and Christopher and their spouses.  And of course, my great-grandchildren, four of them, two boys and two girls and another girl will join us in May. 

     Now back to Matilda, my sweet second great grandmother that came to Utah in 1864 and married George Tomlinson in 1865.  But, wait, Matilda left a husband in England in 1864 and never divorced  him.  What happened to him?  This is where the 'Soap Opera' begins. 

      I can assuredly describe Matilda as a very sweet lady because I have researched her life for a long time and I know in my heart she was of great character.  

     In forthcoming blog posts I will write about her life time as I have explored her paper trail.  

     Now the question is:  Being a bigamist did that put her in trouble with the law in England?

How about in the Utah territory?  How did the Latter-day-Saint Church view this?

This is Walcot Vineyard “The Countess of Huntingdons Chapel,”

near Bath, Somerset, England.

You can see the inscription on the arch between the two cement pillars. 

My Great-great grandmother ‘Matilda Jane Amelia Gay’

was Christened here on 1 October 1826.

Her birth date was 29 May 1826,

her father, William, was 24 and her mother, Eliza, was 30.  She was

the oldest of five children, all girls.

She married Edward Aaron Wherrett and they had two children together. 

She then married George Tomlinson in 1865 in Utah.

She died 20 April 1901, in Bountiful, at the age of 74, and was buried there.